Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1918. SHIPPING LOSSES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1808, 2 April 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1918. SHIPPING LOSSES.

THE uncertainly as to the actual losses occasioned by the German’ submarines to Allied and Neutral shipping was removed by the British Admiralty publishing, for the first time since submarining commenced, a fairly lucid statement of actual losses, with new construction and the taking over of enemy shipping. This statement deals with the shipping problem up to the’end of last year. Prom it we gather that British losses amounted to 7,009,000 tons, and Allied and Neutral losses to 3,750,000 tons, together 10,820;000 tons. This is (he sum total of the -U-boat bag, Id 31st December last. ' These losses arc met, however, by new -construction as follows; British 3,031,000, and Allied and Neutral .3,500,000, and by enemy ships captured or taken over by Britain 780,000, and by Allies 1.800.000. Added together these figures represent a grand total of 9,183,000 tons, which, when deducted (Tom the losses, leaves a diminution of shipping since the war started of 1,040,000. When the war began, the world’s shipping (excluding enemy vessels) totalled thirtythreemillion tons, so that after deducting the figm’es given by the Admiralty as the net balance of loss up to the end of December last, the existing shipping toungge of (he world- at the Ho,se of 1917 (excluding enemy shipping) stood at thirtyone and a. third million tops, in round numbers. While this is not, on the whole, so serjops .a loss, §b was anticipated, it must be remembered that it is the aggregate loss on balance of the world’s shipping (excluding the Central Powers). British losses when taken.by themselves have been much, greater in proportion. These amounted, as will be seen from the foregoing figures, to 7,07-9,000 tons, and her gains by enemy capture and reconstruct tiqn only reached to 3,811,0.00 tons ; Allied and Central gains by- (Capture and . reconstruction, ,op - th# other hand, exceeded tiieir losses by 1.533.000. British shipbuilding was very much, to the bad up to Inst year, the call for fresh naval construction and the lack of organisation accounting for this. But a programme yf skip building on a large

scale was entered into last year, and although it did not prove so fruitful as was hoped for,’ owing to short steel supplies and labour difficulties, these disabilities,it is stated, have now been surmounted, and Sir Eric Geddes expresses, the belief that the Mother Country iS. now on a fair way to a solution ofthe shipping problem.